This invention relates to a household electric cooking appliance and particularly to a household electric cooking appliance which can be used for two different functions, namely for use as a griddle and for use as a skillet. This invention also relates to a method and apparatus for assembling and storing the appliance.
A large number of household electric kitchen appliances are available and in use in modern household kitchens. The number of electrical appliances has increased to the point that the available kitchen counter and storage space is often scarce. Household electric griddles and electric skillets are highly efficient and have become commonplace. Electric griddles and electric skillets serve different cooking functions. Griddles and skillets also require kitchen counter space and space for storage.
An object of a first aspect of this invention is to provide a household electric appliance which can perform different cooking functions. More particularly, an object of this invention is to provide a single household electric appliance that can be used as a griddle or as a skillet.
A household electric appliance in accordance with the first aspect of this invention comprises three basic components: a griddle having an electrically-heated griddle plate, a skillet which can be placed on the griddle to be heated thereby when the griddle is not otherwise in use, and a skillet lid which can be placed atop the skillet when needed. When all three basic components are in use, they form a stack with the griddle on the bottom, the skillet atop the griddle, and the skillet lid atop the skillet.
In a second aspect of this invention, an object is to provide a household electric griddle and skillet appliance that can be compactly assembled for storage on a kitchen cabinet shelf or on a kitchen counter so that the appliance has a relatively low overall height and can therefore be stored in a space having a limited vertical extent, such as under a low kitchen cabinet or in a relatively shallow cabinet compartment. A related object of this second aspect of this invention is to provide a method for compactly assembling the appliance.
A household electric appliance in accordance with the second aspect of this invention comprises the three basic components: a griddle having an electrically-heated griddle plate, a skillet which can be placed on the griddle to be heated thereby when the griddle is not otherwise in use, and a skillet lid which can be placed atop the skillet when needed. The three components have complementary shapes so that the following conditions apply:
1. The skillet and the skillet lid are sized and shaped to enable the skillet lid to be mounted on top of the skillet when the lid is in use.
2. The griddle has an upwardly facing surface for supporting the bottom rim of the skillet lid when the appliance is not in use.
3. The skillet lid can be partly housed within the skillet with the skillet inverted relative to the skillet lid so that the combined height of the skillet and the skillet lid for storage purposes is only slightly greater than the height of the skillet by itself.
With the foregoing conditions satisfied, the three basic components can be stacked with the skillet lid atop the griddle and the inverted skillet atop the skillet lid. The components stacked in this fashion form a stack which is substantially shorter than when the three components are in use at the same time. The stacking of the components in this fashion enables the appliance to be stored in a space having a shorter vertical extent than would be required if the components were stacked as they are when the skillet and the skillet lid are being used for cooking. Packaging and shipping costs can also be lowered by compactly assembling the basic components as described so that the appliance can be packaged in smaller boxes.
In a third aspect of this invention, an object is to provide a method and an apparatus by which an appliance assembled from multiple components stacked on top of one another can be stored on a side of the assembled components, so that the assembled components are vertically oriented and positioned side-by-side one another. If the height of the assembled appliance is less than its width and depth, storage of an appliance in this manner can be advantageous for storing the appliance in storage spaces which have adequate height and depth because of the reduced lateral or horizontal storage space occupied by the appliance.
A household electric appliance in accordance with the third aspect of this invention can comprise the three basic components compactly assembled for storage in accordance with the second aspect of this invention, and additionally provided with a clamp for holding the compactly assembled components together to form a substantially unitary module which can be stored on one of its sides. When stored in this fashion, the appliance can be stored on a counter or in a cabinet having a storage area with sufficient height and depth to receive the appliance while occupying only a minimal length of the storage area.
The clamp in accordance with this third aspect of this invention can comprise a resilient strap having hooks at its opposite ends for connecting the strap to oppositely located parts of the griddle and over the top of the skillet lid and the skillet. With the strap in place, a side of the appliance module thus created can be placed on a storage counter or shelf so that the basic components of the appliance are vertically oriented.
In another embodiment, the clamp could comprise a generally U-shaped clip that engages over the top and the bottom of the assembled components and having connecting portions extending along a side of the assembled components. The clip can function as a support rack, contributing to the support of the components in their vertical orientation. The clip need not necessarily hold the three basic components tightly but should prevent substantial separation of the assembled components.
The appliance of this invention preferably includes both types of clamps, the strap and the clip, which may optionally be used at the same time. For storing the appliance in accordance with this invention, the compact assembly method of the second aspect of this invention is preferably used and the assembled components then clamped together, using either one or both of the clamps to form a unitary module. The module thus formed is set on one of its sides in a storage area. When using both clamps, the clip can be placed upright on a storage surface. After forming the compact assembly, the strap can be connected to the assembled components as described above, and the module thus formed lowered into the clip.
In a fourth aspect of this invention, an object is to provide a temperature setting for the griddle when it is in use by itself and to provide a temperature setting for the skillet when it is in use. In accordance with this invention, a pivotal thermostat control lever having a control knob is used with two sets of indicia, an upper set and a lower set. The lower set of indicia is marked with temperature settings for the griddle and the upper set is marked with temperature settings for the skillet. The thermostat control lever extends through a horizontal slot and the two sets of indicia are preferably respectively located above and below the horizontal slot.